My Mother

Ofelia Mendez Vinazza. Today is two years since she passed on and what better way to celebrate her life by doing a Blip Tribute.

I grew up with an extradordinary mother. A mother that loved her children with every breath she had. A strong independent woman that worked so hard all her life up to her last breath. She was fearless and would approach anything head on. She sacrificed it all for "us". That was the only way she knew how to love. I had the honor and privilege to have been blessed with such an amazing mother.

She was born in 1920 in Lima, Peru and lived an underprivileged life while growing up. Since she was a little girl, by nature she took charge and took care. From her humbling upbringing she learned to work...work very hard. If you weren't sweating than you weren't working hard enough she use to say. Every talent that Mami had under her belt was self-taught. She said she would watch very closely and that's how she learned. An amazing chef, a fashion designer and seamstress just like the famous ones, a business minded woman, a missionary and a great love for gardening.

She came to the U.S in her late thirties with her children (except for me, I come later) wanting a better life. By then she was a fashion designer in Peru and well known. She brought her talent to the US along with opening a family Peruvian restaurant with my Dad and oldest brother Gabriel. Even though she worked every single day she still found time for her passion which was being creative. She loved to sew and had a love affair with fabric. At 45 years old, completely unexpected I came along. I was almost born in the restaurant kitchen because Mom of course worked until the last day.

Both a classy lady and a tough cookie......she could have ran an army. I use to call her "sargent Ofelia". Mami was extremely compassionate and never forgot where she came from. She opened her doors to strangers and homeless people and give them a place to stay and food, never for free meaning they would have to work at the restaurant to earn it. Mom didn't believe in being lazy.

She experienced it all.....love, a broken heart, failure, success, poor, rich in life, many broken bones (literally), a stroke and partially paralyzed and the worse of all....the loss of a child. In her early 30's she lost my sister Iliana at 5 years old due to an illness. Iliana took her last breath in her arms. Mom was like a zombie for about a year after the death. She was void, empty and emotionless. My oldest brother says even though mom moved on she was never the same after that.

Regardless of her tribulations, Mami was a fighter and a true inspiration. In the end, she didn't want to go because she wasn't ready to leave us. She thought we still needed her. A very proud moment was at mom's service.....people that I knew but had not seen for years and ones that I didn't know came forward to speak. One after another shared their stories about how mom saved them from the streets, how she opened her heart and home to them, how she taught them to work hard and how she offered them wisdom.

That.......was my Mother

She is survived by the six of us.....Gabriel (73), Norma (71), Gaby (58), Rosie (54), Tony (52) and me (46).